Sinking of the Solène

The sinking of the Solène was a maritime disaster that occurred in the late Fourth Era, during the flight of Prince Charles Viromaro from the Kythiran Empire following his political downfall. The ship sank in the Southern Sea during a violent storm while transporting 20% of the Viromaro family's fortune to the Republic of Aqumis. The disaster resulted in the total loss of the vessel, her entire crew, and 40 million Florynts.

It is regarded as the greatest loss of treasure in Minecraftian history.

Background

At the time, the Viromaro family fortune was estimated at slightly over 200 million Florynts, accumulated over centuries of dynastic rule, taxation and wartime plunder. Following the Reforma Carta, which forced Emperor Louis Viromaro to abdicate in favor of his daughter, Theodosia Viromaro, Crown Prince Charles Viromaro, who had served in the Grand War as admiral, was removed from the line of succession.

Prince Charles refused to co-sign the Reforma Carta as Prince-Regent. Instead, he commandeered two imperial ships, the Solène and the Lunara. The Solène, originally the Imperius Trade Federation's Wellenbrecher, stolen by the Kythirans during the Dervich Incident, was together with it's sister ship Sieger the two largest active duty ships of the Imperial Navy. The Lunara was a smaller support vessel specifically build for the newly christened Solène.

He took command of the two ships and sailed north, to the remote imperial palace of Sanssouci. Here lay a secret stash of 59 million Florynts, almost 30% of the Viromaro fortune, taken out of the Mercenary Bank in Helmira in order to keep it secure as the war worsened.

The palace's staff had not yet been informed about the Reforma Carta, and so they aided the crown-prince in moving the fortune into the two ships, which would according to Charles sail back to Helmira to be returned to the Mercenary Bank. The large Solène held a total of 40 million Florynts, whilst the smaller Lunara held 19 million Florynts.

Departure and Conditions

Solène, although a massive ship, was dangerously overladen. Furthermore she had not yet finished her repairs in Helmira before being taken by the prince. To fit more Florynts most of her cannons were thrown overboard, and her crew of 150 was reduced to a skeleton crew of 52. As the two ships departed into the Northern Sea for their long trip south, the remaining crew took up refuge in the imperial palace. As news of the Reforma Carta and the Prince's betrayal reached the palace, the crew, afraid of being persecuted for their apparant betrayal, barricaded themselves in the Grand Hall, until agents of the KIA negotiated their safe passage back to Helmira.

Sailing south toward Aqumis, both ships sailed at max speed, hoping to keep ahead of any Kythiran pursuers. It was also here that Prince Charles admitted that they would not for the forseeable future return back to Kythira. In exchange for their continued loyalty he promised each of his 73 sailors a reward of 40,000 Florynts (Over 26 times the annual income of a worker in the upper middle class.)

Catastrophic Break-Up

After several days of sailing, both crews were exhausted. They entered the Southern Sea at midnight, sailing straight into a violent storm. Lunara managed to stay ahead of the worst of it, losing a mast and throwing her canons overboard, but Solène, heavily laden and already compromised, struggled to respond to the wind.

At 2:06 a.m., Solène was struck by a massive rogue wave. Witnesses aboard Lunara described how the force of the impact, combined with the strain of her overloaded hull, caused the Solène to snap in two instantly.

The ship’s bow and stern rose briefly in opposite directions before plunging beneath the surface in mere seconds. No lifeboats were deployed. The crew of Lunara, watching from a distance as the massive ship vanished under the waves.

All 52 men aboard Solène perished.

Aftermath

Lunara reached the Aqumic coast two days later with Charles Viromaro and the surviving 19 million Florynts.

Legacy

The estimated 40 million Florynts lost aboard the Solène makes the incident the greatest known loss of treasure in Minecraftian history, both in economic and historical terms.

The wreck has never been located. It is believed to rest in a deep trench south of Kythira, beyond ordinary salvage depth.

To this day, no gold from the Solène has ever surfaced.